Martinsburg daily gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1887-1887, 1887-06-16
EARLY PHOTOGRAPHY.
INTERESTING INCIDENTS or THE
ART IN ITS INFANT DAYS.

Prof. 8. r. b. Morse the Pioneer in Da-
guerreotype Work-The First, sun Pic-
ture Ever Taken in America-How It
Was Done.
There are some interesting memoirs con-
nected with early photography in this
country and city. Photography dawned
ON the world at about the same time as
telegraphy and at about the same date as
steam railroadin' And Morse, the leadin'
man in the telegraph, and Daguerre, the
leadin' man in the photograph lat first
called the daguerreotype) became personal
friends, and each got interested in the
others lines-a thing which very seldom
happens to that class of people.
Morse, when he was in Paris tryin' to
push his lightnin' messages, was intro
duced by Robert Walsh, OF Philadelphia,
the American consul at Paris, to Mons.
Daguerre, who was tryin' to push his sun
pictures. The two men took u great fancy
to each other, just like two brothers;
showed each other their inventions
and told each other their plans. Each
promised to help the other after he had
first helped himself, and each kept his
promise.
much real aid to Morse in Paris, but he.
did what he could all the saiac-talked
enthusiastically about the telegraph and
shrugged his shoulders enthusiastically,
as only u Frenchman can. But Morse,
when he got back to New York, took hold
of his chum Daguerre's hobby and intro
duced it into tho metropolis The first
telegrapher may thus be said to have been
the first PHOTOGRAPHER
There was ut this time in New York Il
fine instrument maker, almost Q genius IN
his way, ealled Preseh, who had shop
In basement on Nassau street, q very
curious sort Of place; q den OF scientific
odds and ends, haunted by odd and scien-
tiflc men. Morse saw Prosch and gave
him full idea of Dagucrre's inventions,
and showed hira plan of the apparatus
needed to, carry ont Dagucrre's ideas. He
also gave Prosch IN order to- make this
apparatus. Prosch SGT to work and made
rude afiair, which was the first picture
taking apparatus ever made in this coun-
try, and turned it over to Morse. And
then one mornin', a really memorable
mornin', in its way, Morse, with the aid
of this rude instrument, took the firstsun
picture or daguerreotype ever taken in
America.
11C UOOh III I'LL VI UllC CLCP0 IGttt1A W
Prosch's den. He placed the camera on
the steps and got q pretty good picture of
the old brick church the Rev. DR.. Springs
church, opposite to the city hall-on the
spot now occupied by the Times news
paper and the Potter buildin'. In the
foreground of this picture was hack, and
its sleepy horse, with its still more sleepy
driver.
This first daguerreotype or photo
graph was, Of course, primitive affair,
worse than Il tintype now, but it was, new
ertheless, great, wonderful thing under
the circumstances. 1t demonstrated that
pictures'o Of the earth and things and peo
pie on it, could be taken by the aid of the
sun, just as certainly and truthfully as
ideas could be transmitted by electricity,
and really one fact was almost as import
ant as the other. Itwas truly memor-
able mornin' in New York when Morse
took the first daguerreotype of Of Prosch's
basement steps, although it then took him
nearly an hour, all in all, to complete the
operation.
Professor Draper was great friend OF
Morse, and he got interested in this new
thing. He and Morse experimental to-
gethers Draper was great on chemistry.
He soon improved on the original daguerre-
otype, and one day he astonished Morse
by takin' his lMorse's) picture with his
eyes open, giving the natural expression Of
the eyes.
This was q big step onward; for ct first
all the pictures taken of human beings
had to be taken with the eyes closed, on
account of the glare. Imagine pretty
woman sittin for her picture and havin'
not only to hold her tongue but close her
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